Thread by @GovTimWalz

So let me tell you a crazy story about the journey roughly 9,000 vaccine doses took to Minnesota yesterday.

It should have been a simple trip from IL to MN, but it turned in to quite the epic saga involving the White House, four different states, and finally @MNNationalGuard saving the day with late night deliveries to all four corners of the state.

Winter weather has caused delays in vaccine shipments and some rescheduled appointments here in MN. We’ve been in touch with the feds, keeping tabs on those shipments, and adjusting as needed.

Late Thursday night we got word that some delayed doses – 11 boxes of Pfizer, which is the vaccine that has to be kept frozen at -90 degrees – were finally on their way and would be in MN by Friday morning. But that’s where the story gets weird.

On Friday morning, a @MNNationalGuard Captain, who is a key member of our vaccine logistics team, was diligently tracking the vaccine shipments and noticed those doses scheduled to arrive in MN appeared to be taking a detour to Texas. This was alarming for a couple reasons.

Texas is the epicenter of bad weather impacts (remember that super cold storage requirement? You need electricity for freezers). And these doses were needed in MN within the next 24 hours. We’ve made great vaccine progress and can’t afford more delays.

As soon as we heard that, I got on the phone with the White House. We had to sort it out. Luckily, we have a good Minnesotan leading on the federal COVID response – thanks, @ASlavitt! I talked to Andy and also got on the phone with @general_perna.

The WH quickly recognized what a problem this was and got busy trying to make it right. Mid-day we found out it had a short layover in Texas and was in Memphis, TN. Working with FedEx, we caught up with the shipment there.

FedEx got the boxes on the right plane and finally on their way to MN. The flight was set to land at MSP at 7pm Friday – but these doses were needed in different parts of the state Saturday morning (today).

We are lucky in MN to have the heroes of the @MNNationalGuard always at the ready. Members of the Guard’s Medical Detachment responded quickly to the call and deployed to meet the shipment upon its touchdown at @mspairport.

@MNNationalGuard soldiers took possession of the vaccines and hit the road, en route to Thief River Falls, Fergus Falls, North Mankato, and Rochester, where these doses were scheduled to be put into arms at state vaccination sites this morning.

I’m proud to report the @MNNationalGuard soldiers drove late into the night and – not surprisingly – successfully delivered the vaccines to their intended destinations.

The story ends today, at vaccination sites in Thief River Falls, Fergus Falls, North Mankato, and Rochester. As of 11am this morning, all sites are open and, after an epic journey, these vaccines are flowing into Minnesotans’ arms.